19.1.08

over at sara's i like to cook, she's hosting the 24th edition of weekend cookbook challenge. this month's theme was "veggin' out" and i was excited to get back to my favorite cookbook, vegetarian cooking for everyone by deborah madison. we haved used this one quite a lot over the years, and it remains my faithful standby for delicious vegetarian cooking.

i poured through the pages, wanting to make something seasonal, and definitely something i haven't made previously. i found the perfect idea with her golden gratin of rutabaga, turnips, and carrots.

julienned vegetablesif your new year's resolution included losing weight, well unfortunately this recipe won't be for you! ms. madison does love her butter and dairy, and uses both copiously in many of her recipes. but it was a delicious, creamy gratin. and yet, there was no cheese, so (relatively) healthier than traditional gratins. she says it could be a main dish, but i think it's too heavy. it was, instead, a perfect side dish for us.

1. melt butter in a heavy saucepan. add flour, stir until it combines into paste (called a roux). it should look like wet sand. reduce heat to medium. slowly stir until it has a nutty aroma, about 5-6 minutes.

pointer: when thickening something (like a soup, sauce, etc) one item has to be cold or room temp and the other one has to be warm/hot. in this example, the roux is hot, and the milk is cold. however, if you pre-made the roux, you would have to heat up the milk before whisking in.

6 comments:

What an incredible looking dish! I don't care that it's not diet friendly, I am making this soon. Thank you so much for joining me for WCC this month. I really hope we'll see you again. PS - your veggies are cut so perfectly!

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